Strategic Plan Update Request for Proposals

The purpose of the City of Bismarck (referred to throughout as CITY) Strategic Planning Services RFP is to solicit professional consulting services that will help the CITY develop an organizational strategy that outlines goals and objectives for the CITY, as well as outlines how the CITY can successfully reach these goals. Like many other public agencies, the City of Bismarck understands the importance of having an effective strategic plan. The last comprehensive strategic plan was adopted in 2019. Many of the goals, objectives and initiatives have been successfully completed, achieved, or engaged in some phase of implementation. The current strategic plan was very community focused and as a result the CITY acted as a facilitator in many of the goals that were accomplished. The goal for our next comprehensive strategic plan will be that it is more internal or organizationally focused.

The outcome of the process will create a written strategic plan document that presents the planning process, the research, the analysis, opportunities, and strategies along with an implementation plan that will guide the CITY for the next three to five years. The City of Bismarck strategic planning initiative will create and implement a comprehensive strategic plan that will incorporate major organizational initiatives into one document that capture the big picture, all under the umbrella of one shared, strategic vision. The successful firm must have extensive organizational strategic planning experience, as well as the capability to facilitate planning meetings, conduct research and surveys. The City of Bismarck is aware that there are a variety of perspectives, models, and approaches available to develop a strategic planning document; therefore, the successful firm should be able to discern which model(s) will best enable the City of Bismarck to complete its organizational and programmatic goals. The successful firm will be required to demonstrate its ability to meet these requirements.

The City of Bismarck, through this Request for Proposals, seeks a qualified consultant for the facilitation and development of a 3 – 5 year strategic plan for the City of Bismarck.

The scope of services includes the following tasks:

1. Review current City of Bismarck organizational information available on the CITY’s website . Including department home pages, budget information, current Strategic Plan , 2012 Strategic Plan, Together 2045 Plan, CITY ordinances , and other related documents and information.
2. Conduct a situational analysis of the City of Bismarck Organization.
3. Identify and assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the City of Bismarck organization.
4. Based on the assessment data, facilitate with the Strategic Planning Committee, the revision of the Vision, Values, and Mission of the City of Bismarck organization
5. Facilitate the development of goals and objectives that support the Vision, Values, and Mission of the City of Bismarck organization.
6. Facilitate the development of performance metrics – key indicators and outcomes that can serve as the basis for performance measure for the City of Bismarck organization.
7. Provide an implementation plan to engage the workforce and direct the actions of City leaders to effectively utilize the recommendation and strategies developed during the strategic planning process.
8. Submit recommendations for appropriate implementation measures that CITY staff will need to take. Include proposed policies and administrative guidelines that will need to be in place to administer the comprehensive strategic plan. These policies and administrative guidelines should be very specific in nature. Develop a system to measure the effectiveness of CITY activities in meeting the objectives of the comprehensive strategic plan. Ensure the measures are linked to the overall vision, mission and goals of the CITY as a whole.